Chapter Twenty: Group Formation Matters
As night fell, the monthly exams had just ended, and the trainees began to relax a little. After the coaches finished their evening training sessions, some trainees returned to their dormitories intermittently.
Unlike usual, Meng Fanxi and Gu Huailang attracted the attention of many trainees when they walked out of the practice room with their bags on their backs. They wondered if there was some kind of group activity that night, otherwise these two trainees who never left would have left early.
The SUV drove smoothly forward, leaving the area covered by the Wells Company, and the interior was completely silent.
Meng Fanxi sat in the back row by the window, feeling uneasy. The street was still bustling, with many people playing and laughing after finishing their meals, and the barbecue stalls were full of people. The lively scene reminded him that this was not a dream.
He could roughly guess the purpose of this trip. He glanced at Wei Ye, who was focused on driving, and Gu Huailang in the passenger seat. Xu You and Ren Yuchen were sitting in the same row as him, and the former was unusually silent.
Wei also needs to inform Xu You and Ren Yuchen about his debut plan. If all goes well, according to the current timeline, it will probably be the second half of next year before they debut according to various procedures, which will completely avoid VIER's timeline.
Images from past and present lives linger in my mind, but what if the two of them disagree?
Meng Fanxi received the message before her midday nap. Her phone rang once and then kept ringing as if it were malfunctioning. Gu Huailang's phone on the table was also ringing incessantly.
The two of them picked up their phones at the same time, thinking it was a message from the coach in the group chat. But when they opened it, they saw it was from Wei Ye. He had created a new group chat and asked them to go to the parking lot together that night. He had something important to say, and that was the end of it.
Xu You kept sending question marks in the group chat, which finally drew Meng Fanxi's attention to the message.
Xu You's messages stopped after Ren Yuchen posted a period.
On their way to school, the four of them sat at the back of the bus and discussed things quietly. Xu You was the one doing most of the talking, but Meng Fanxi and Huai Lang remained silent, and the discussion didn't come to any conclusion.
The car stopped in an upscale residential area, and Wei took them to his home, saying as he opened the door, "Stay at my place tonight, and I'll take you to school tomorrow morning."
As everyone entered the house, the lights suddenly came on. Meng Fanxi surveyed the layout of the house. The spacious layout and simple design clearly indicated that the person lived alone. The house was so large that even if the group of them slept on the floor in the living room, they could roll around freely.
Xu You, from a wealthy family, paid no attention to the interior decorations. Wei Ye, who was following him to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks, asked, "Why did you bring us to your house? Why are you making it so mysterious?"
Wei smiled but didn't say anything. He arranged the ordered barbecue snacks on the coffee table, and everyone sat down.
Meng Fanxi stared at the delicious food in front of her, her heart filled with cravings. After becoming a trainee, she had to maintain a good figure and couldn't eat whatever she wanted. The company cafeteria served specially prepared meals. At first, it was novel, but after eating it too much, she got tired of it and gradually started to eat it as if it were a task to be completed.
Wei is also a company employee, yet they made an exception and bought these snacks for them. It seems they plan to use food as a bribe.
No one touched their chopsticks, and an awkward atmosphere filled the air.
To be precise, Xu You and Ren Yuchen did not regard Wei Ye as a superior, firstly because of the small age gap, and secondly because of the incident involving Gu Huailang.
Aside from that, there wasn't much interaction between them, and the words "Hongmen Banquet" immediately came to mind.
Wei also spoke up: "Eat up, I bought this especially for you. I do have something to tell you about your future, and I also want to talk to you about it."
Upon hearing the words "concerns the future," Meng Fanxi felt he had to set an example. He had truly staked his future on Wei Ye's plan, so he decided to stop pretending and started eating right away.
Under his influence, the others also joined the CD operation. Wei stopped keeping them in suspense, holding up a skewer of grilled meat, and said to the two people who were completely unaware of the plan, "I'm planning a boy band, and you two will be members. The plan has been approved by the higher-ups."
"Soon, you will be assigned to the debut group and train together. The debut date is expected to be around the beginning or middle of next year."
Wei Ye's words resounded like thunder in everyone's ears.
Next year? So soon? Meng Fanxi didn't remember the exact debut date of VIER in her previous life, but she knew it would be in the middle or early part of next year.
If the debut dates are the same and the members are roughly the same, does that mean that next year's debut will still be VIER itself, only Qi Xiaohan and Xu Weiguang will leave and he will be the one to debut?
Du Rong, the mastermind behind VIER in his past life, has had his plans thwarted, and the original VIER no longer exists. But if everything proceeds according to its predetermined fate, then what will become of this group...?
Two little voices appeared in Meng Fanxi's mind. One said that the plan had been approved by the higher-ups, and the probability of debuting had increased dramatically. That was great! The members would definitely become real superstars in the future.
One of his concerns was his inner fear: just because everyone got along well now didn't mean it would continue like that in the future. If history couldn't be reversed and two more people joined after their debut, there was a high probability that the group would disband, and all his efforts would be in vain.
But he had no way out. What should he do?
After Wei finished speaking, he carefully observed everyone's reactions. Gu Huailang knew in advance but was still overjoyed. Xu You was very satisfied with the members. Ren Yuchen's expression didn't fluctuate much, but you could tell that he agreed. On the contrary, Meng Fanxi, who had also known some of the content in advance, had a conflicted expression and revealed a faint sorrow, which surprised him.
Wei also asked directly, "Fanxi, is there a problem?"
Feeling everyone's attention, Meng Fanxi hesitated for a moment, then tentatively looked at Wei Ye: "Are there only four of us as members?"
Wei raised an eyebrow. He hadn't revealed this to Meng Fanxi. Ren Yuchen noticed his hesitation and asked, "Is there anyone else?"
Gu Huailang was puzzled, as Wei had not told him that there were other people involved.
"No way? If there are other people, why are we the only ones here?" Xu You didn't believe it. Usually, once the selection is finalized, everyone is notified together, let alone that they have all been invited to his home.
Wei was unusually nervous. After carefully considering his words, he said, "In the proposal I submitted to the company, the group consists of 5-6 people: 2 S-level trainees, 1-2 A-level trainees, and 2 B-level trainees."
He went on to explain: "The company's planning team has a hierarchy. The team's composition must be balanced across all levels to ensure the team's steady development. In other words, there are both the leading roles and supporting roles."
Meng Fanxi suddenly realized what was going on when he thought about his and Wei Ye's current ranks.
In any group, there must be a top performer and a corresponding underperformer. Even if the best trainees are put together, there will still be a clear hierarchy. Those who are at the bottom will experience a sense of loss, and if they can't handle it, they will become complacent and lose the true value of being a good trainee.
Therefore, most companies with enough trainees will assign a main trainee and clarify each person's role when forming a group, in order to create a sense of harmony within the group.
"The company has agreed to my plan, but I haven't decided on the A-level trainees yet. This is exactly what I want to discuss with you later, since they are your future teammates."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they could listen to their opinions; teammates in a group must get along well.
The difficulties didn't end there. Wei knew that when the planning department meeting was held later and the list was announced, just putting Xu You, Ren Yuchen, and Gu Huailang together would draw a lot of opposition, after all, they were three S-level trainees.
Xu You has already started suggesting candidates for A-level trainees, preferably from the same class, so they can go to and from school together and get along more easily.
Wei took out his tablet, found a video, and placed it in front of the four people, saying, "This is the person I most want to join the group right now. I don't know if you know him." Although he used to be an S-rank, he left the company, so if he comes back, his rank will definitely be lowered.
“Zhang Yang!” Xu You immediately recognized the person on the screen. “Really? Didn’t he leave the company? It would be great if he were here.” Then he started enthusiastically recommending him.
Wei was surprised by his reaction. In his opinion, Xu You was the most difficult person to get along with. With Xu You's approval, he felt relieved.
Meng Fanxi's eyes widened. What was going on? It was Zhang Yang.
In his previous life, Zhang Yang participated in a talent show after leaving his company, and then withdrew from the competition with great attention. After terminating his contract with his company, he disappeared for a period of time.
When he reappeared, he became one of the new members of the VIER group. His own fans were more active and fought fiercely with the fans of the original members. After the disbandment, Zhang Yang released a solo album and broke the record set by Xu You. Rumors of his discord with Xu You and Gu Huailang spread like wildfire.
VIER is a unique group. While other groups are a chaotic mix of couples, they are a chaotic mix of "disagreements". Apart from Qi Xiaohan and Xu Weiguang having a relatively harmonious relationship, there are rumors of arguments among the other members.
Zhang Yang continued to attract controversy, but he remained carefree and didn't participate in any variety shows. He spent his time releasing songs and traveling, and the controversies surrounding him gradually subsided, allowing his fans to settle down.
Meng Fanxi looked at Wei Ye, whose eyes were filled with excitement after receiving recognition, and fell into deep thought.
“Zhang Yang did leave the company, but I’ve been keeping an eye on him. His company isn’t doing well. Let’s discuss a replacement first. If you all agree, I’ll figure out the rest.”
“I agree,” Xu You replied immediately.
"No objections," Ren Yuchen and Gu Huailang said in unison.
"Then I have no objection." Meng Fanxi's mind was in turmoil. The current developments were completely unexpected, and he could only wait and see what happened next.
Wei also breathed a sigh of relief and said with satisfaction, "As for the other one, I'm not sure if we need it. Actually, I envisioned a group of the five of you, but considering the balance, it might be better to add another member, so I need your opinions."
The group didn't seem to mind adding another person, and said they could discuss it first.
"Then think about who else you can add. I suggest a trainee who is relatively gentle. You definitely know the trainees around you better than I do."
"How about Fu Wei'ang?" Xu You suggested.
“No way.” Meng Fanxi immediately retorted. This person later became a singer and got married very early, so he was completely unsuitable to be an idol.
"What about Sun Qi?" Xu You then suggested.
"That probably won't work either. It seems he was called in for an interview by the company's planning team." An interview means he's already been listed as a candidate for debut in the group.
"So many debut groups planned recently?" Xu You pursed his lips and stopped talking.
"How about..." Meng Fanxi began softly, somewhat hesitant.
Wei gestured for him to continue.
"Do you know Lin Ruohe? I remember him as a very nice person."
"Him?" they asked in unison, puzzled. Of course they knew Lin Ruohe; he was a legendary trainee in the company, about to debut as part of a group. However, all the members of the group ran into trouble, and he later switched to acting. He was most famous for playing the role of the youngest son in a well-known work, which made him very famous nationwide.
Wei was a little surprised. He thought that suggesting Zhang Yang was already a bit outrageous, but he didn't expect Meng Fanxi to come up with an even more imaginative idea.
Looking at their shocked expressions, Meng Fanxi thought to himself, "How incredible you find it now, in my previous life, anything was possible."
He thought he was going a bit crazy. After hearing that Zhang Yang might join the group, he had a bold idea.
If the members destined to join the group were allowed to join earlier, giving them more time to get to know each other during their trainee period, would the outcome have been different?
Lin Ruohe was the last member to join VIER along with Zhang Yang.
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